Datura Daydream: Payday

Datura Daydream is a post-punk trio from Toronto who will be releasing their first album, The Lick is in the Lisp, at the end of this month. “Payday” is a viscerally satisfying introduction to these gritty Canadian rockers, and you can stream it just below.

The song opens with a rollicking, guttural bassline which is interspersed with mildly distorted guitar comping. This chaotic mix (already pretty complex, even with just 3 musicians) creates a sort of math-y, polyrhythm-centric feel which brings to mind Battles and many a New England post-rock act. They prove their talent in mixing the smooth with the harsh as the drums settle down and a rhythm guitar lays out pleasant chords under a shimmering, spacey lead which makes me think math rock has turned to shoegaze (but only for a moment). Then, the fucked vocals come in (once you decide to drive the long road / you can never turn back / so burn your mirrors and file your eyelids down / because the sun will glide you into the water), providing the fully creepy experience I had come to expect from this track. Its payday, if I may make use of a play on words. In any case, the screeching guitars have won me over on this one – I am eagerly awaiting the end-of-month release from Datura Daydream, and I doubt I won’t be impressed by it.

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